I’m favourably disposed to the idea of organic wines. That
sounds a bit of a pompous, pretentious sort of statement, so let me
try to unpack it a little for you.

I admit, I’m not a signed-on-the-dotted-line believer. I
don’t think organic is always better, and I’m appalled by some of
the nonsense and hypocrisy spouted in favour of the organic cause.
It’s possible to farm well and in an environmentally sound way in a
‘conventional’ way, making appropriate use of chemicals only when
they are needed – this is called ‘integrated pest management’.

Of course, I am disgusted by the horrific neglect of
environmental concerns that have typified the modern era of
viticulture, but it would be wrong to tar all non-organic vignerons
with the same brush. Let’s face it, even organic farmers use
‘chemicals’, just more traditional ones which they reckon are OK.

You can farm intelligently of stupidly either way. But the
reason I said I’m favourably disposed to organics is that it
suggests people are taking a good deal of care about how they farm,
and there’s a good chance they are going to be better respecters of
terroir (the notion of a sense of place in a wine) because of this,
which in my book is a good thing. It vastly increases their chances of
making better wine.

So far, the lists of organic specialists such as Vintage
Roots and Vinceremos have been dominated by old world producers, who,
with their emphasis on terroir and viticulture have taken more
naturally to organics than the winemaking-obsessed new world
producers.

But this may be changing. Vintage Roots have made a number of
recent additions to their new world range, and it is these wines that
featured in the tasting I’m writing up here. It’s a mixed bag,
with some highlights but also some ordinary wines. However, it’s
encouraging to see more new world producers adopt a more caring,
involved approach to viticulture.

Australia’s oldest organic vineyard, established in 1971.
The vineyard is full of life: lots of grass and weeds, and, when I
visited a couple of years ago, scarecrows. Apparently the philosophy
of proprietor Kevin Karstrom is to work with nature and not against
it.

Botobolar Shiraz 2000Rich, ripe spicy fruit on the nose. Quite intense, with a minty,
menthol edge. Vivid, juicy and spicy, but the palate is a little
dilute. (Bear in mind that 2000 was a disastrous rain-affected vintage
in Mudgee) Very good

Robinvale was established by George Caracatsanoudis and his
wife in 1976, and is now run by sons Steve and Bill and their
families. They have some 30 hectares of vineyards managed
biodynamically, and a modern winery built to resemble a Greek temple.
The wines are quite unusual, but I was taken by the Demeter Origins
Chardonnay, which is good value.

Robinvale Organic Origins Chardonnay/Chenin
Blanc/Sauvignon Blanc 2002Striking fruity nose: very grassy with a touch of herbaceousness.
This herbaceousness continues to the vividly fruited palate. A bit
odd. Good/very good (£6.99)

Richmond Plains Pinot Noir Reserva 2001 NelsonLovely spicy, herby complexity on the berry fruit nose: very
appealing. Juicy fruit backed up with some savoury, spicy oak on the
palate, which shows good acidity. Nice stuff with lots of character
and good typicity. Very good+ (£10.50)

Stellar Muscat d’Alexandrie 2002Very pretty, sweetly perfumed nose, with rose petal and floral
notes. The palate is fresh and fruity with a dry finish. A little
short, but a striking wine if you like the style. Very good

Stellar Wooded White 2002Appealing forward fruity nose: crisp with a touch of nuttiness,
and the oak very much in the background. Nice savoury edge to the
palate with a touch of structure from the oak. Very good (£4.95)

Vinos Organicos Emiliano
(VOE) Novas Carmenere/Cabernet
Sauvignon 2001 Colchagua
This is a blend of 63% Carmenere, 34% Cabernet, 2% Syrah and 1%
Mourvedre, with roughly two thirds aged in French and American oak
barrels. Very deep coloured. A bit shy on the nose initially, but on
the palate it is a powerful, richly fruited wine, with a spicy edge to
the full textured palate. It is very ripe with lots of blackcurrant
and berry fruit, but there’s more to it than just pure fruit with
some nice structure. Very good+

(£5.95)

VOE Novas Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Maipo
A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Syrah, mostly aged in French
and American oak barrels. Ripe blackcurrant fruit on the nose with
some chocolatey richness. The palate shows vivid fruit with some good
acidity. Not too rich and sweet, with firm spicy tannins on the
finish. Interesting and quite structured. Very good

(£5.95)

VOE Coyam 2000 Colchagua
A blend of 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 22% Carmenere, 12%
Syrah and 2% Mourvedre, aged for 12 months in mostly French oak
barrels. Yields are 4 tons/hectare. Sweet silky berry fruit on the
nose with some distinctively Chilean green herbal and chocolate notes.
The palate still displays that distinctly Chilean primary blackcurrant
fruit, but this is amply backed up with tannic structure and subtle
spicy oak. Good concentration here: structure matters in a wine and
this has it. Very good/excellent (£8.95)